Google My Business Top 10 Tips

Many small businesses comment how they’d love to get to the front page of Google. The easiest way to do this for free,is to set up a Google My Business listing. If there are multiple listings, you will appear in a map with three other businesses (and maybe an ad too), or may miss the front page and be in the More places link immediately blow those listings. In some cases (including when you look up your business name), you can appear in the side bar with a whole block of information just about your business!

Claiming your business

The first step is going to Google My Business in your local area and claiming your business. Google My Business has been previously known as Google Places. Google My Business will ask for some basic details to get going.

Note for business name you can add some keywords to your name (Google may change this, but they currently allow it). Consider adding location or industry e.g. The XYZ Group | Human Resource Consultants Timbuctoo (this example may be too long, but you get the drift).

Your business address

A prime reason many home based business owners are reluctant to take up a Google My Business listing, is because they must provide a physical address. However, this is simply not a good enough reason, as it can generate many queries. You will see in my listing, the number or even the whole street address is left off. Why? Because I selected the option to only service customers at their address. You can see here I chose a large range, because I can service clients worldwide, but some social ‘experts’ suggest leaving this range smaller. Try both and see what works for you.

Google does not allow PO Boxes as addresses. You could consider using a virtual office service, if you are really concerned about disclosing your home address (it’s probably already displayed on your business registration anyway). These addresses do currently work, as they are manned and you will be allocated ‘Suite 999’ rather than PO Box 999. The code will be sent to this address in about 10 days. Diary to chase if not received in two weeks.

Additional information

With the announcement of closure of the ill-fated Google+, many content options have been added back into Google My Business. This is great for business owners. Apart from standard details like phone number, website link, a description (about us) section, and opening hours (remember to update for holiday hours), you can add lots of photos, make posts that disappear after a week (great for weekly specials or announcing new features), add Q&A, and add your services.

Reviews

Most countries have laws against business owners and family members rating their own businesses (or at least you need to disclose your relationship). Do not create fake reviews – you are breaking the law. Sad I should need to say this, but after seeing a lawyer do it, can’t put it past some people!

When you receive reviews (Google will notify you), make sure to reply to every review. For positive reviews, it makes the people recommending you feel appreciated, and they’re more likely to continue to recommend you. With bad reviews it’s even more important to reply as this is a massive marketing opportunity. Many people will read bad reviews.

If you get a genuinely fake business review (for instance before you have even opened!) then politely ask them to remove their review. For instance Thanks for taking the time to place a review. Unfortunately you may have us confused with someone else, as we haven’t started trading yet. Please can you remove the review. When you need these services again, we’d love to help you. If they remove all good, if they don’t, people can see it’s not right and you can report the fake review to Google. Sometimes if you look at the reviewer you can see they placed five bad reviews on the same type of business as you. Often these are threatened competitors, and should be reported to Google.

If the review was fair enough, then accept responsibility – we’re all human after all. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are sorry you didn’t experience us at our best, and we’d love the opportunity to rectify the situation. Please call our Manager XXXX and we’ll see how we can provide a satisfactory resolution. Always get it offline, and don’t enter into a war of words. Stay calm and polite. If they start going off people will see they’re a difficult customer, so just leave them to rant. Generally one reply is all you should do.

Why does my business sometimes appear in a map, the side bar or worse not at all?

Like all Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), the search results will depend on the search conducted, where the search was taken and how competitive the keywords are. When a location is added, then the map listing will nearly always appear. ‘How to’ searches will typically return videos and blogs with no map. If there is only one great result, or hopefully when you search your business name, the screenshots like in this blog will appear in the sidebar, or possibly in the main results.

Map results are based on Google algorithms, which Google give us an indication of, but don’t tell us in full. Sometimes adding more keywords and images can help us appear higher in the map results.

I don’t have a website yet, can I use Google My Business?

Yes you sure can! You can either leave the website link blank (not recommended) or link it to a relevant social media account business page like Facebook or LinkedIn. Remember to update once you have your website.

Bing Places

Well obviously this won’t get you on the front page of Google, but it can get you on the front page of Microsoft search engine Bing. With very few people using Bing, you may think why bother? Because when we get a new laptop (other than a Mac), it typically comes pre-installed with Bing. Many people suffer with using it until they get sick of it and revert to their preferred search engines like Google Chrome. When I first did this with an old business, I gained 15% of website traffic from Bing (from nothing previously), so it does help, as it’s much less competitive.

The top 10 tips summarised

1. Google My Business is one of the easiest free ways to appear on the front page of Google

2. In the business name field, add a keyword relating to industry, service or location. Use keywords, but don’t overuse throughout your listing.

3. You must use a real physical address to receive the code in the mail (takes about 10 days)

4. If you are concerned as a home based business choose to operate in a service area and/or use a virtual office

5. Populate as much as you can, and remember to go back in and update holiday hours, add new photos and keep all details current

6. You cannot rate your own business as in most countries this is illegal. Fake reviews definitely are.

7. Respond to every business review – good, bad and fake. It says a lot about the way you treat clients.

8. Depending on the search type and the competition you may appear in the map, a side bar, only in the more places screen or not at all.

9. You don’t need a website to join Google My Business

10. Not Google, but to appear on page one of search on Bing – remember to also sign up to Bing Places.

About the blog writer and Founder Jane Tweedy

Jane loves to help people succeed, and this she primarily does through helping small business owners as a small business advisor, business coach and mentor, and also individuals through job search coaching. Jane enjoys training, especially in small groups where interactive sessions can be held to bring in the experience of the participants, which always adds an extra dimension to the participants learning outcomes.

Jane currently still works for Western Sydney Business Centre under the NSW Government Business Connect program 3 days a week. In 2018 Jane launched two new businesses – How to Job Search and FAQ Business